This question is mainly directed at Maine Sail, but anyone with a real clue please feel free to answer:

What is the educational path to achieve a certification as a marine electrician? Expected costs and length of time to achieve? Employment potential? (Especially in this crappy economy)

Perhaps "marine electrician" is too generic of a term. Is there a difference between the electrician who wires a dock for power vs. an electrician who wires a boat for AC and DC power? Is there a difference in the certification process?

I already have an electricity and electronics background and I was considering a career shift to the marine industry, away from government contracting.

One of my good friends is one of the preminant marine elctricians in the Annapolis area, He has mentored others getting into the profession and has a great reputation. He teaches the elctrical courses given for Annapolis Sailing School also

I'm not sure about the certification, but I find there is a huge difference between a marine electrician that can bring power to an outlet or wire a bilge pump and those that can troubleshoot an autopilot or chartplotter.

I'm not sure about the certification, but I find there is a huge difference between a marine electrician that can bring power to an outlet or wire a bilge pump and those that can troubleshoot an autopilot or chartplotter.

Quite a difference between a marine electrician and an electronics tech. Electronics techs are certified by individual manufacturers.

Bubblehead, are you looking to find a corporate job? Or self-employed working retail with the boaters and the competition?

FWIW West Marine and others often advertise for installers and techs, you might ask them what they are looking for (including radio licenses) if that's the way you want to go.

Frankly, I don't have the ambition or discipline to operate my own business. I wasn't really looking for "corporate" though, at least not in the "West Marine" sense. I was wondering if I could get hired on at a large marina or yard as their electrical guru, and whether or not it could be a profitable and rewarding way to earn a living.

My background is electricity, electronics and RF communications for the US Navy, then telecommunications (cabled/hardwired/ethernet and fiber optic) and computer networking for my current employer for the last 9 years.

I understand DC, and AC 110v and 220v systems, how to wire them, some of the guiding US electric codes (what I don't know, I confirm by research before taking action).

I also understand electronics and I could certainly troubleshoot and repair marine electronics if I had the schematics, manuals and tools to fix a specific piece of equipment. I've repaired plenty of radios and radar during my time in the Navy.

Unfortunately, I'm a "jack of all trades" with many skills, but none of them in-depth enough, and no real pedigree to back any of it up.

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